The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club Autograph Collection

Gorgeous property, delicious food at restaurant, well appointed rooms

My husband surprised me with a night at this hotel the week after New Year’s, and we were genuinely excited for our stay. It’s a place we’ve always wanted to experience, and the hotel itself is undeniably beautiful and luxurious. We truly expected it to be a special getaway.
We began our visit with an afternoon tea experience for the two of us. When reviewing the menu, I specifically noted that lavender was not listed, which was important because I have a lavender allergy. I felt confident that what they offered was safe. Unfortunately, the tea I was served contained lavender. I had already consumed three cups before realizing this, and I became ill as a result, which affected the rest of our stay.
Compounding this, the water at the hotel was turned off for a period of time (overnight) due to repairs. There was no hot water available. After being sick, we asked about showering and were told we would need to wait until the following morning this included being able to flush the toilet after they gave megastro issues in the first 20 mins of arrival. We were then informed that we could use the spa showers the next day; however, the spa shower was also not working. Throughout this situation, communication was inconsistent—one staff member explained the water issue was related to hotel repairs, while another said it was a city problem.
To their credit, the hotel did comp our night’s stay, and we were told that a manager would follow up with us. Unfortunately, we were never contacted by a manager afterward. I held off on this review hoping to hear from someone above a receptionist or a waiter.
Personally, this was the worst experience I’ve ever had at a hotel, and I would have a very hard time returning. That is especially unfortunate because we love history, higher-end food, and elevated travel experiences—this should have been right up our alley. Instead, it was disappointing from start to finish. I took the time off for this trip, found childcare and cant get that back. Would leave 1 star but they did comp our room.

Restaurant

I made reservations for my wife to have a nice quiet night away from the kids for her birthday to relax and recharge. My wife lost her credit card the day before, but called the hotel to make sure they took apple pay before she left. When she went to check in they hotel staff told her that they didn't know who she had spoken to, but that the hotel doesn't and never has taken apple pay. My wife decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant (the hunt lodge), left cash to pay for her meal and left the restaurant. She received a very nasty call from the restaurant's management saying she needed to come back and pay her tab. She explained to them she had left it on the the table, and they insisted she needed to come back to look for the money. When she got back to the table the waitress stopped by and said another server took it. My wife never received an apology from the restaurant staff for accusing her of theft. It was very clear the hotel thought my wife was beneath serving or worth common courtesy.

We stayed offseason in mid-November. The resort was immaculate, beautiful, and comfortable. The restaurants were all good. However, the service made our stay remarkable. David at Bell Service and Tony in the Hunt Room both made great efforts to help us enjoy our stay. Samantha in the Becca Restaurant made our meals special with her extraordinary service and contagious cheerfulness. Most of all, Nerisa went above and beyond ordinary hospitality and did everything (the list is long) possible to make our stay special. Thank you to those four and everyone else at Cavalier!

We had 2 deluxe rooms for 3 nights over Christmas 12/23-12/26. First, we could not get a breakfast reservation for when we wanted. We will go off property to get breakfast. Next, Upon check in on 12/23 the hotel bars, both the distillery and main bar, were so busy we couldn’t get a drink. We tried twice and waited a very long time. I guess the hotel bars are open to the public, and they take precedence. This is so unfortunate for guests of the hotel, who are paying a premium to stay. When we called the front desk to complain they told us the bars are managed by a different entity than the hotel. As a guest, we don’t care, poor service no matter the management, is poor service and your hotel will be reviewed likewise. You’re charging a lot for a stay, but there’s really no advantage. We will now stay elsewhere.

Overall, this was a great trip and the Cavalier represents the best luxury hotel in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

High points – Robert at the front of the hotel. He is a great ambassador for the Cavalier. Valet parking staff were quick, great service. Loved the turndown service with fresh cookies every night. Live music at Tea, Raleigh, and Hunt were awesome. Room service was quick and delicious. Loved the wide selection of beverages available in our room. Lots of water bottles in the room were great. Wifi was good enough. Loved the food at Becca for both breakfast and supper. The igloos were such a nice touch. The lights, carolers, sled, s’mores, hot chocolate and cider were all great touches. We loved our bourbon tour. I bought a bottle. Front desk staff were very kind and attentive for anything we asked. They helped our daughter with some tape on her suitcase.

Low points/room for improvement – service was a little slow at Becca’s for supper and breakfast, especially for drinks. Thursday supper, the delicious popovers came out after our appetizers. Shouldn’t this be served earlier?

When I made the reservation, I called (instead of online) Marriott Bonvoy to make our reservations because I needed to make sure we had connecting rooms. They told me I had to get two double queen rooms if I wanted connecting. When we checked in, turns out I reserved the wrong rooms if I wanted connecting. Front desk told me that Marriott Bonvoy does not have the correct information. You must remedy this.

Afternoon tea – loved the harp music. But we were not given the full menu that was offered. For instance, no egg salad sandwiches. Only one chicken salad sandwich for five of us. No macarons. We got the brie cheese, but no apple or sourdough bread. We felt we were shortchanged. Ashley was great though.

Crowd – A busy weekend for sure. That meant that getting a drink at the Hunt room or the Raleigh room was impossible at certain hours on Friday and Saturday. Would have loved to have more waiters serving the crowds in the seats. Food was impossible to get. Consider setting up a mobile bar in the breezeways behind and to the left of the Raleigh room. It does not have to be full service. Raleigh room closes at 10pm on Sunday. Fine, but at 9:35 they were closing and no more cocktails were being served. I did get the bartender to serve us beer and wine though.

Bills at Becca Igloo Thursday night, Tea, and room service all had automatic gratuity added. I am fine with that. But the gratuity line should say “extra” not the same as when it was not added at other times we received a bill at the resort.

I do not mean to be so harsh, but wanted to cover all the details. The good news is that we are coming back in March. So you know overall we enjoyed our stay. I was able to switch our rooms for March to be the connecting ones. Also, I suspect it will not be as crowded, so hopefully, we can get drinks and enjoy the music at Hunt and Raleigh on Friday and Saturday.

The experience staying at the Cavalier far exceeded expectations. Our family has a lot of holiday traditions to get into the spirit of the season, but our stay at the Cavalier has now risen to the top of that list. The room and bathroom were gorgeous and felt very comfortable and cozy. We got better sleep in the room than we do at home! The customer service from top to bottom was better than I've experienced at any hotel. Everyone is kind, positive and went out of their way to anticipate our needs. We felt like we were truly valued as guests. The resort amenities were also beyond what we imagined. There was turndown service, afternoon tea, photos with Santa, s'mores byt the fire, a carriage ride and so much more we didn't even have the time to fit in. Most importantly though, the staff at the Cavalier spend a lot of time and care turning the hotel into what can only be described as a winter wonderland. The lights, the decorations and the winter-themed treats were all the perfect setting to get into the holiday spirit. Thank you to the Cavalier for such an amazing December trip. Special shout out to Carlo who was so kind and helpful welcoming us to our room, Robert for being such a great Bourbon host and Lars for showing us a new standard for hospitality!

My husband and I visited the Historic Cavalier Hotel for a weekend getaway to celebrate our babymoon before welcoming our daughter, and we were blown away by every hospitable detail of our stay. From the seamless valet and check in experience - after a warm welcome at the door from Robert - to the knowledgeable bellman Carlo that walked us through all of the amenities in our guestroom, they set us up to enjoy every bit of holiday magic the hotel had to offer. The decor was warm, classy, and dazzling, the on-site restaurant options were perfect, our server at the Hunt Room Billy was fantastic and super personable. Housekeeping was thoughtful and detail oriented. The holiday programming was perfection with smores in the garden, carriage rides, photos with Santa, and live carolers. The General Manager was a true hospitalitarian and clearly leads his staff to reflect his professionalism. There is truly nothing I could have added to have made the experience any more perfect.

KATIE WAS THE BEST!!! She is so sweet and kind and so knowledgeable! She reccomended the best items and we will definitely come back thanks to her!! As a server myself I couldn’t ask for better service.

Staff

This is my 6th time going to the VA Bourbon Invitational this past Saturday, Nov 8th. We have been fortunate enough to snag tickets on line during the Father's Day sale. I felt that the food was easier to excess this year and liked having more tables out in the covered area. Have the door closed from the pool area was a game changer as that was very confusing with food lines last year.
I buy a non-drinking ticket and was disappointed that the only choices I had at the bars was soda pop or water. That was disappointing as they could offer 2-3 mocktails to us non-drinkers and make more money. The Raleigh Room was closed for another event, so couldn't try there. Then walked all the way down to the Hunt Room and they weren't open. I went into the bar at Becca and the bartender there hooked me up though she was shocked that I had to do so much searching to get a mocktail. I ordered the Cherry Limeade and it was very good. She didn't charge me for it due to my troubles. I appreciated that.
Not sure if I will return next year mostly because I'd like to have non-alcoholic choices and not have to go on a detailed journey to try to locate one. Luckily, I didn't have to wait in one of the bar lines as people let me go to the bar to ask. If I had waited in line for a mocktail and then found out I could not get one, I would have been fuming and probably needed a cocktail.

Beautiful hotel. Every touch was elegant. Tremendous attention to every detail. From the comfortable beds, the quiet rooms and the beautiful indoor pool to the clean outdoor furniture and fire pit all was a treat.

Charme van een historisch hotel en locatie vlak bij het strand